Push for hydrogen in Japan

CMB and Tsuneishi Group subsidiaries, Tsuneishi Facilities & Craft and Kambara Kisen, have launched a hydrogen joint venture to distribute and develop hydrogen know-how, expertise, engines and applications in Japan, including designing and installing the infrastructure needed at ports. The start of the partnership is marked by a project to build Asia’s first hydrogen-powered tugboat, the ‘HydroPhoenix’.

President director of Kambara Kisen, Hirotatsu Kambara, said: “We are so excited about our strategic partnership to further enter the market of carbon neutral business engineering mainly developed by alternative fuels for marine and port industries. I am confident that this new joint venture will achieve our immediate project of completing the HydroPhoenix, Asia’s first hydrogen-powered tugboat.”

HydroBingo & HydroPhoenix

CMB and Tsuneishi have already been working together, with the development of the HydroBingo, the next generation 80 passenger ferry that uses hydrogen as marine fuel for propulsion.

Both companies will build a hydrogen-powered tugboat, the HydroPhoenix. This is anticipated to increase local demand for hydrogen and catalyse the construction of further sister ships and other industrial hydrogen applications.

Both companies will also focus on the development of hydrogen-powered equipment for the land-based port industry and ships of different categories, such as support ships for offshore wind farms, like CTV, SOV and CSOV, through the H2ICE application centre, as mentioned above.

JPN H2YDRO & H2ICE Application Centre

CMB and Tsuneishi want to develop the hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2ICE) technology for the Japanese industrial and marine market. CMB’s subsidiary CMB.Tech has successfully developed concrete applications with dual fuel and monofuel hydrogen engines.

To accelerate the adoption of this revolutionary technology, CMB and TSUNEISHI have agreed to invest additional capital in the Bingo Research Institute and change the name to “JPN H2YDRO CO.,LTD” for the import, marketing and engineering service of H2ICE solutions in Japan. JPN H2YDRO CO.,LTD will establish a H2ICE Application Center in Japan.

BeHydro dual fuel engines

Since 2017, CMB has developed a wide variety of hydrogen-powered engines and applications, including the world’s first 1 MW dual fuel hydrogen diesel engine developed by BeHydro which is a joint venture vehicle with ABC Engines. The new joint venture will be the sole agent for the import of BeHydro engines in Japan.